Africa-Press – Zambia. Lunte MP Slams Government Over Bill 7 describing it as “Deception and Maladministration”
LUSAKA – June 27, 2025
Lunte Member of Parliament has issued a blistering critique of the UPND-led government over the handling of Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 7 of 2025, calling the process “deceptive,” “inept,” and an example of “unparalleled maladministration.”
In a statement released on June 27, the MP argued that the legislative process surrounding Bill 7 has descended into constitutional confusion and executive overreach, after President Hakainde Hichilema publicly directed the Minister of Justice to defer the Bill despite it already having progressed through significant parliamentary stages, including First Reading and referral to a Select Committee.
“The president publicly advises the Minister of Justice to defer the Bill. But the Bill has already moved past all Executive stages. It has reached the National Assembly,” the MP noted, describing the move as a “total deception” and a dangerous entanglement of executive interference in legislative procedures.
The lawmaker stressed that the executive cannot lawfully amend a Bill that is already at the committee stage in Parliament. According to the MP, consultations at this point are not only meaningless but also a misuse of public funds, especially in light of the country’s debt-driven budget.
“Once the president’s advice to proceed comes, Parliament will just reignite the already started process. It will be the same Bill, the same Select Committee. What are these consultations for?” the MP asked.
The Lunte MP called for an immediate withdrawal of the current Bill, stating that the only legitimate path forward is to begin afresh with broader public input and transparent processes.
“The only way a new Bill can arise at this stage is by withdrawing the current Bill… Then proceed with a new, acceptable Bill for enactment. Deception cannot get support from some of us,” he said, adding that the current trajectory undermines the integrity of constitutional reform.
In a striking parallel drawn in the same statement, the MP referenced the ongoing controversy surrounding the burial of former President Edgar Lungu. He criticized the government’s legal action against Lungu’s widow and children, claiming it contradicts the earlier decision to cancel the state funeral in order to prevent “indefinite national mourning.”
“This type of lack of clarity whereby today you cancel the state funeral and the following day sue the widow and orphans to stop them from burying is not the best model for handling constitutional amendments,” he said.
The MP concluded his statement with a call for simplicity and patriotism in the legislative process, saying: “Let us give a befitting process to the constitutional amendment. No one is an enemy to it. Restoring everything patriotic.”
The critique is the latest in a growing wave of opposition to Bill 7 and adds further pressure on the UPND administration to clarify its stance and approach to constitutional reform. The government has not yet officially responded to the MP’s remarks.
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